In this Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 photo, a mural that includes an image, center, of a Native American and inscribed with the words "Cruel Adversity" hangs in the Durham, N.H., post office. Critics have called the image demeaning to Native Americans and demanded it be removed. The town has called for the post office to include language into the mural that puts the image into context. (AP Photo/Michael Casey).
The Associated Press
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) - A decades-old mural at a post office in New Hampshire is coming under attack from critics who say its portrayal of Native Americans is demeaning.
The 16-panel mural was put up in 1959 and depicts life among the earliest settlers in Durham. One painted panel shows a Native American posing in a threatening manner with a settler's house in the distance and the words "Cruel Adversity."
Town officials say the panel was based on a 1694 massacre in which about 250 Wabanaki warriors attacked a settlement in what is now Durham and killed or imprisoned 100 settlers.
Members of the state Commission on Native American Affairs have called for the mural to be removed or covered. They argue it's demeaning to Native Americans.
The town is considering several options.
In this Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 photo, a mural that includes an image, fourth from left, of a Native American and inscribed with the words "Cruel Adversity" hangs in the Durham, N.H., post office. Critics have called the image demeaning to Native Americans and demanded it be removed. The town has called for the post office to include language into the mural that puts the image into context. (AP Photo/Michael Casey).
The Associated Press
In this Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 photo, a mural hangs in the Durham, N.H., post office. The mural includes a panel in another area showing an image of a Native American and inscribed with the words "Cruel Adversity." Critics have called the image demeaning to Native Americans and demanded it be removed. The town has called for the post office to include language into the mural that puts the image into context. (AP Photo/Michael Casey).
The Associated Press